Evaluating the Positive and Negative Impact of Iteration in Engineering Processes

Iteration is often considered to be one of the most prominent and fundamental characteristics of engineering design processes. For instance, the high-level design process models proposed by Pahl and Beitz (1996), French (1998) and Pugh (1996) symbolise iteration through feedback arrows occurring between different design process stages. Osborne (1993) conducted a study in the semiconductor industry to measure the magnitude of iteration in product development; his findings suggest that a significant share of development time and cost can be allocated to iterative activities (Browning, 1998). Many other authors have highlighted the central role of iteration in the design process, and hence indicated its importance in product development. Consequently, both industry and academia have a strong interest in better understanding the nature of iteration, including its causes and effects on design processes, so it can be effectively managed to help ensure development time and cost is as low as possible.

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